Thomas james hewson



(No Model.) T. J. HEWSN.

AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING COMMUNICATION-S.

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NITE STATES AT1-:NT Trice.

THOMAS J AMES IIEWSON, OF LEE, COUNTY OF KENT, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING COMMUNICATIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,536, dated November 1,1887.

Application filed November 3, 1986. Serial BT09211874. (No model.) Patented in England September 21,1886, Xo.12,017; in France Octoberl1,1886, No.178,96; in Belgium October 11,1886, Na7-1,795, and in Germany October12, 1896, No. 10,703.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Trionas Janes HEW- SON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Lee, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certain Improved Means for Receiving and EX- hibiting Messages and Communications, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, dated September 21, 1886, No. 12, 017, in Germany, dated October 12, 1886, No. 40,703; in France, dated October 11, 1886, No. 178,976, and in Belgium, dated October 11, 1886, No. T4,795,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to afford ready and convenient means of communication between persons who frequent the same place, but who do not happen to meet there simultaneously. This object I attain by providing in places of public resort a stationary apparatus comprising` a roll of paper or other material upon which messages or advertisements can be Written or placed, and by which they are subsequently exhibited in a protected position, and which apparatus is so adapted as to be protected from use until the deposit into its interior at a given part of a given coin has been effected for the use of the apparatus, which then automatically presents, in a conveniently accessible position, a portion of paper upon which the desired communication can be written or placed, and which apparatus is also so adapted as that the act of covering the message lastly Written by the part which protects the apparatus from further use, until the said preliminary operation of depositing a coin thereinto has been again effected, causes such message to be removed to a protected and exhibitive position, and simultaneously causes a fresh portion of paper to be brought into position for use, as aforesaid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a transverse sectional elevation through the line f f, Fig. 8of the apparatus with its parts in their normal position, preventing access to the portion of paper upon which the next message is to be Written. Fig. 2 represents a like view through the line g lz, Fig. 4, with the parts of the apparatus in the position they assume after the deposit of the coin thereinto, and in which position the portion of paper is exposed and can be Written upon. Fig. 3 represents a sectional plan view of Fig. 1 through the line c b, showing the delivering-roller and connected parts; and Fig. 4 represents a like view of Fig. 2 through the line c d, showing the taking-up roller and connected parts.

The apparatus is constructed with a case, 1, (inclosing the operating parts and preventing fraudulent access thereto,) which is made with an approximately-vertical glazed front, 2, and with a desk-like part, 3, affording facility for resting the arm and writing the desired messages. The desk part 3 is made with an aperture, 4, through which access can be obtained to a given space of the paper, 5, when such aperture is uncovered by a shutter flap or plate, 6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, which, in its normal position, covers such aperture and space of paper, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and prevents access thereto, and is retained in such position until its controlling mechanism is appropriately operated. The Hap 6 works on a center pin, 7, one end of which is provided with an extending arm, 8, which is connected by a bar, 9, with a counterbalanced lever, 10, working on a pivot, 11, let into the side of the ease 1; and when the flap 6 is in the said position represented in Figs. 1 and 8 it is retained therein by a counterbalanced lever, 12, (which is fast on a spindle, 13, working in bearings 14, and has limited movements between pins 15, and is provided with an extending arm, 16, and detector 4l, hereinafter referred to,) the upper end of which engages in a notch, 37, in the lower part of the .adjacent end of the bar 9, or in the said arm 8, and consequently prevents the flap 6 from being raised so as to move the paper until the controlling-lever 12 has been operated so as to release it from engaging with the bar 9 or arm S. This releasing movement is effected by dropping a coin of appropriate size and weight through the slit 17 in the desk part 3 onto the extending arm 16, which causes the lever 12 to be tilted forward, carrying its upper part clear of the said notch 37, and thus releasing the i'lap from such control, npon which occurring the iiap is immediatel y automatically operated by the counterbalanced lever 10, aided by the Weight of a IOO connected bar, 18, and,A in its final movement by a spring, 19, in such a manner as to causek the flap to turn on its center of movement in the direction of the arrow i and uncover the aperture 4 and space of paper, and to assume the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 4.

The upper end of the bar 18 is connected to a pawl-carrier, 20, having its center of movement at 21 and carrying an attached springpawl, 22, and in thus falling causes the pawl 22 to take up a new position (see Fig. 2) in relationto the teeth of a ratchet-wheel, 23, which its next forward movement'operates,and which is held from following the rearward movements of the pawl 22 'by an upper weighted or spring-pawl, 24, centered at 25, the pawlcarrier 20, ratchet-wheel 23, and pawl 24 being carried, by and havingindependent movements in or on a plate, 26, secured to the adjacent side of the case. The ratchet-wheel 23 is formed with a squared center recess, 38, in which the correspondiugly-formed end of the spindle 27 of atakeup roller, 28, is placed, so as to be operated by the movements of the wheel 23 in the direction of the arrow 39, the other end of the spindle turning freely in an' oppositebearing,40,whichvean beopened,inthe manner indicated in Fig. 1, byraising the lever 29, whereupon the roller 28, together with the used-up strip of paper upon it, can be removed, leaving all the other parts in position. The paper to be written uponis coiled around a like roller, 30, carried by a. frame, 3l,which is or maybe wholly removable from the apparatus to allow of afresh roll of paper being Vsupplied when required. 'The front end of' the frame 31 carries a roller, 32, partly around which the paper passes from the roller 30, and from which it passes to a flat table part, 33, carried by the frame 31, and which is so disposed as to occupy a position immediately under the said aperture 4, so that when this aperture is uncovered by the removal of the flap 6, as aforesaid, the exposed portion ofthe paper may be written upon. The strip of paper passes thence behind a small roller, 34, carried by the case adjacent to the lower edge of the glazed front 2, behind which it runs up parallel therewith over a top roller, 35, to the taking up roller 28.

36 represents a catch centered to a part of the frame 31, and which, in the position of the parts represented in Fig. 2, is caused by the connecting bar 9 to engage with a ratchet-ring, 45, in the adjacent side of the let-ofi' roller 30, and prevent any further movement of the paper until the writer, after having written his message, raises the ilap 6 in the direction of the arrow j, to cover the message and remove it to a visible and protected position, and as he closes the flap down onto the aperture 4 the movement imparted to the connected bar 9 releases the catch 36 from the ratchet-ring 45, and by the connecting-lever 10 also causes the rod 18 to operate the drum 28 in the direction of the arrow 39 and to draw up the paper a distance a little exceeding the space written upon, so as to leave a sufficient space between contiguous messages; and as the iiap 6 is in the actvof being closed down upon the aperture 4 its arm 8, or the adjacent end of the bar 9, passes over and is caught by the upper end of the lever 1.2, and is retained 'in such position unt-il the parts are again operated, as aforesaid.

41 represents a detector adapted to the lever l2, which closes the slit 17 immediately the coin reaches the arm 16 and begins to move the lever 12, and prevents the lever 12 from being sufficiently operated to release lthe shutter-tlap6 until it can pass under and close Vsuch slit, so that fraudulent actuation thereof by the blade of la knife or like means is prevented. y Y

42 represents a receptacle for the coins dropped through the slit 17, and 43 a front door under the safeguard of a lock and key. The operating mechanism can all be got at by opening the back door, 44, which is also under the safeguard of a lock and key.

v I claim as myinvention# 1. The combination of the casing having a'n aperture, 4, and a shutter to close the same, with a sheet of paper, devices for feeding the paper, an aperture, 17, for the insertion of a coin,and mechanism, substantially as set forth, to lock the shutter and release it under the weight of the coin, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the casing having within it a sheet of paper and devices for rco feeding it, and having also van aperture, 4, for

the passage of the paper, and an aperture, 17, for theinsertion of a coin, with a shutter to close either aperture, according to the position to which the shutter is moved, and mechanism, substantially as described, for operating or releasing the shutter by the weight of the coin deposited.

IOS

3. The combination of the casing having an aperture, 4, fora movable sheet of paper, and an aperture, 17, for the deposit of a coin,with a hinged flap-shutter to close one or other of said apertures in either of its extreme positions, and mechanism, substantially as described, whereby t-he Weight of the deposited' coin releases the shutter, all substantially as specified.

4. The casing having an approximately upright glazed front and a desk-like portion below it containing an aperture for the exposure of the paper, in combination with a movable sheet of paper, and a shutter to close the aperture', all substantially as described.

5. The casing having an aperture for the exposure of the paper and an aperture for the introduction of coins, in combination with a movable sheet of paper, a shutter to close 4the aperture for the paper, and mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the weight of a deposited coin causes the release of the shutter for the opening of the aperture and traverse of the paper, all substantially as set forth.

6. The casing having an approximately up- ITO right glazed front and a desk-like portion below it containing an aperture for the exposure of the paper and au aperture for the introduction ot' coins, in combination with papercarrying rollers, a shutter to close the aperture for the paper, and mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the weight of the deposited coin causes the release ol' the shutter for the opening of the aperture and feeding of the paper, all substantially as specified.

7. The casing having` an aperture for the exposure of the paper, in combination with a shutter to close said aperture, rollers carrying a sheet ofpaper passing the aperture, and devices, substantially as described, connecting the shutter with the rollers to feed the paper as the shutter is moved, all substantially as described.

S. The easing having` an aperture for the posure ofthe paper, an aperture for the introduction of coins, and a shutter to close one or the other ofthe apertures, in combination with paper-carrying rollers in the case, devices connecting the rollers and shutter, whereby the movement of the latter feeds the paper, and lockingr devices for the shutter to be operated by the weight of the deposited coin, all substantially as set forth.

9. The easing having` an approximal ely upright glazed front and belowit a desk-likeportion containing,` two apertures-onefor theeX- posure of paper and the other for the introduction of coins-in combination with a flapshntter between the two apertures, to close either, papercarrying` rollers in the ease, devices connecting the rollers and shutter,whereby the movement of the latter feeds the paper, and locking` devices for the shutter operated by the weight of the deposited coin, all substantially as specified.

10. The combination of the easing` having` an aperture for the exposure ol' contained paper, a flap-shutter therefor, and an aperture for the introduction of coins, with a notched arm, 8, on the shutter and balanced lever 12, to engage therewith, and having,l an arm, 16, to be acted on by the deposited coin, as set forth.

l1. The casi irehaving` an aperture forthe eX- posure of contained paper, a tlap-shuttcr therefor, and an. aperture for the introduction of coins, in combination with a notched arm, 8, on the shutter and a balanced lever, 12, to engage therewith, and having an arm, 16, to be acted on by the coin, and an arm, 41, to close the coin-aperta re, all substan'tially as set forth.

12. rlhe combination ofthe casing,` having an aperture for the exposure of paper anda {lapshutter therefor, with rollers in the casing carrying a sheet of paper, an arm, 8, on the shutter, connecting rod 9, lever 10, connecting-bar 1S, and pawl-and-ratehet devices controlled thereby to operate the take-up roller, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS JAMES HE\VSON. 

